Reports contained no evidence of abuse; But woman exhibited sexual behaviour at a young age

Thursday, May 31, 2007 @ 08:00

Social workers told a woman in 1995 they found no evidence in reports filed with the Children's Aid Society of her having been sexually abused as a child, despite references to the fact she exhibited sexual behaviour at a very young age.

Cathy Sutherland took the witness stand at the Cornwall Public Inquiry Wednesday and told of repeated sexual, physical and emotional abuse she says she suffered at the hands of her mother and foster care providers in the 1950s and 1960s.

During her testimony, a 35-page CAS file was entered into evidence containing detailed reports filed by CAS workers over several years beginning when Sutherland was a little more than two years old.

Following one overnight stay with her mother, Sutherland was returned to her foster home and soon afterward a social worker visited the little girl who was believed to be doing well since being removed from her mother's home.

"She (the foster mother) said that the child came back to her a little stranger," the social worker wrote in a report just days before Sutherland's fourth birthday.

The foster mother then told the social worker Sutherland did not act or behave normally, was not interested in her toys and even lost her sense of balance.

The child did not seem to hear family members when they would speak to her unless they did so sharply, the social worker reported and Sutherland would walk around the room, bumping into furniture and seemed to be in a daze.

"Previous to this visit, Cathy had been fully toilet trained, but after the visit she began to soil her clothing both during the day and at night," the social worker wrote. "She even began to masturbate."

Sutherland testified Wednesday she began asking the CAS for a copy of her file in April 1995 in an effort to shore up her crumbling life.

"My life was falling apart," Sutherland said. "I was living alone. I was having nightmares and flashbacks. I needed to see the file for medical reasons in an effort to reconstruct my life."

In August 1995, officials from the CAS wrote Sutherland and provided her with a two-page social history of her involvement with the agency, a one-page medical history and a timeline.

In the cover letter, agency officials said they could not provide the entire file as it would identify individuals other than her.

"With regards to your concerns about sexual abuse, I can advise you that I was unable to find any information within your files which would indicate this," wrote social worker Mark Boisvenue, in the letter which was co-signed by executive director Richard Abell for then-supervisor William Carriere. "If, however, you believe that a crime has been committed, this agency would encourage you to file a complaint with the police."

Sutherland was removed from her mother's home in Morrisburg shortly before turning three and spent several years in the custody of foster families before being returned to her mother in May 1960. According to the CAS file, Sutherland appeared to settle back in with her family well but the situation had deteriorated just over a year later.

In August 1961, a social worker reported Sutherland had "changed a great deal" since being placed back in the care of her mother.

"She has changed from an extrovert to an introvert, to a pouty-sour-faced (sic) little girl," the social worker wrote. "The only reason (her mother) can give was that she taught her three children not to speak with strangers and possibly the children had misunderstood and taken it as everybody."

Sutherland's time as a Crown ward officially came to an end in October 1961. In the summer of 1968, however, the CAS once again became involved with Sutherland following an episode during which she ran away from home.

She was first placed in a receiving home then with a foster family in Bainsville.

"I was sexually abused (by my foster father) for a year," Sutherland said Wednesday. "I told workers about it; I told other foster families about it. They did nothing. I was left there."

There is nothing in Sutherland's file related to her allegations of sexual abuse.

"There's a lot that's not in there," she said.

During cross-examination Wednesday, Peter Chisholm, an attorney representing the CAS at the inquiry, suggested standards for children in care have evolved over the years.

Chisholm suggested to Sutherland it's not always appropriate to apply current standards to incidents which occurred so long ago.

"Would you agree with me that the institutional response is better today?" asked Chisholm.

"I would hope so," said Sutherland.

The inquiry continues today.